Teenage Audience

Any healthy child grows into a teenager and teenagers have their own challenges.  The best, most obedient, good hearted, balanced teenager still challenges, questions, at time generates borderline disrespect, ignores good truths, makes sometimes ridiculous excuses that everyone knows aren't true, can't back off an errant statement, and argues against the seemingly obvious.  James Dobson once concurred, "It is natural for teenagers to seek other sources of information.  It is natural for them to not simply accept the credibility of their parents.  They have moved to a new point of critical thinking and must decide for themselves."   To accept this and to help guide them to valid sources and to graciously help expose the invalid sources of information is the key to successfully raising a teenager to an adult.  No one can thwart this natural process and no one should.  The wise parent understands that thwarting a natural process will result in rebellion just like denying a citizen his God given rights. 

It is difficult to become "less intelligent" at times (or for years) while you move from "worshipped status" to "ignorant serf status."  However, to be successsful, the parent (and teacher of teens) needs to not think of themselves and be smart - remembering always, the child will return to the parent one day if the parent has taught and lived truth.  The parent must remember that they will become "smart again" when this phase is over and not punsih the teen because the move to adulthood is difficult for the parent.

It is critical to learn the precarious balance of walking alongside the teenager not trying to be their friend and not abdicating the responsibility to protect while allowing them to grow up, make controlled mistakes and stretch their legs into adulthood.    The parent must walk alongside, outside the "bubble" and hold up posters of truth and be ready with care when the bubble bursts off and on throughout this process.  The parent will learn that teaching in the moments where there is no challenge is the perfect place to drop in truths that are needed, even though the teen doesn't know it.  Parents can survive and still teach.  Just because they don't see your value doesn't mean that you can't invest.  It just takes a different strategy.

We all have the "teenage audience" around us.  They are the hardest, most difficult, heart-breaking followers who don't follow well in our organizations and communities.  However, if you don't get to know this audience and reach them well, you will have no future leaders.  They will have all run off to the "streets of the world" and perhaps you will be accountable for their destruction at the hands of this world.  People who are growing spiritually, in leadership or in knowledge, simply must go through this phase - it is natural. 

Much like a parent, to teach this audience, you need to be prepared to:

•  Not be insecure about the audience checking other sources, citing other teachers or challenging truth.
• Not react negatively or overly accepting of the challenge but remain neutral to the challenge while continuing to teach.
• Not get emotional or worry about being liked.
• To use absolute and objective truth that can be argued but not disproven or defeated.  Solid truth is all that will survive this stage.
• Teach from "outside the bubble" - that is, continue to walk alongside and use the "drop off challenge" (the teenage audiences favorite tool) to stimulate thought or teach a momentary truth.  Don't try to get in their world - you are too old (spiritually speaking) and they don't want you to be their pal.
• Stop to teach whenever they ask and are open.  Drop everything and teach.  The teenage learner needs to be taught while doing, walking and going.  Most of the teaching of this stage will happen as you are with them on the highways and byways of life, so get out there and experience their "brave new world" and teach as they go.  By the way, don't tell them how you have done all this before.  Be smart and say, "Hmmm.  I wonder, would this work..."

When teaching this audience, don't forget that if you teach everlasting and solid truths, you will one day be smart and valued again.  Don't try to stop this phase because it is uncomfortable or inconvenient - you can't stop this phase of learning for this audience.   Perhaps most importantly, don't stop holding them accountable to truth because you are afraid.  Teenage audiences are not supposed to like you but they are supposed to know that you love them enough to teach and champion the truth.